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High school graduation rates remain steady in New York; 'college-ready' rates lag

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Conductor Andrew Perry leads the band as students enter West Genesee High School's graduation ceremony at SRC Arena and Events Center at Onondaga Community College Saturday. The school's 2012 graduation rate was 87 percent.
(Brett Carlsen | bcarlsen@syracuse.com)

High school graduation rates across New York remained steady last year at 74 percent, but the state says many of those graduates are not fully prepared for college and work.

The state's "college- and career-ready" rate -- based on the percentage of students who scored at least 75 on the English language arts Regents exam and 80 on a math Regents -- was only 35.3 percent. The state says students who hit those targets are usually capable of handling college courses without remedial help.

The gap in graduation rates between suburban districts and low-wealth urban ones remains wide across the state, and Central New York is no exception. In Onondaga County, Westhill High School had the highest graduation rate, at 96 percent. Fowler High School in Syracuse, which draws students from the poorest areas of the city, had the lowest, at 30 percent.

See chart of Central New York school district rates below

The gaps in the "career- and college-ready" rates were even wider. At Fayetteville-Manlius High School, 74 percent of students hit the mark. At Fowler, 3.4 percent did.

The graduation rate in the Syracuse district as a whole remained below the 50 percent mark -- dropping slightly from 48.4 percent to 48 percent.

Syracuse placed in the middle of New York's Big 5 school districts in its graduation rate. Buffalo's rate fell more than 7 points, to 46.8 percent, and Rochester's rate slipped to 43.4 percent. New York City and Yonkers remained stable, at 60.4 percent and 66 percent, respectively.

The Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central led in the city with 69 percent, followed by Corcoran at nearly 58 percent.

The Syracuse Academy of Science charter school graduated 94 percent of its students, although its "college-ready" rate was just 15.5 percent.

This year's graduation rate is based on the percentage of students who entered ninth grade in 2008 and graduated on time four years later, in June, 2012. But the state also released data over longer periods to account for students who continue to seek their diplomas beyond their on-time graduation dates.

In Syracuse, even adding a few months made a difference. The overall graduation rate increased from 48 percent in June 2012 to 51.1 percent that August.

Looking even longer term, the district graduated 56.4 percent of students after five years.

"With more time, our students do persist," said Brian Nolan, Syracuse's executive director of high schools.

Nolan said the district is not satisfied with the current rates, but is pleased that the numbers didn't decline in the face of increased requirements. The Class of 2012 was the first in which general education students had to pass five Regents exams with a grade of at least 65 in order to graduate. The previous year, students could pass four of the exams at 65 and the fifth with a grade of between 55 and 64.

State Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch noted in a statement that "tens of thousands" of students are leaving high school without a diploma, calling it "an ongoing tragedy."

"And sadly, most of those students who do graduate aren't ready for college or jobs that provide family-sustaining wages," she said.

State Education Commissioner John King noted that in Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse, "less than 10 percent of the students graduate ready for the challenges of college or today's high skilled jobs. Those are more than just numbers; those numbers represent thousands of students whose futures are diminished.'

He said that is justification for the state to keep pushing forward with the new Common Core academic standards.